Starkville's drafted comprehensive plan won't be adopted in early June after residents, property owners and community stakeholders voiced concerns over the document.
City officials fielded public comments over the plan through two public input sessions Thursday.
Officials will revise aspects of the plan, and another public input session will be held before the document is presented to the Starkville Board of Aldermen in "four to eight weeks," according to Community Development Director Buddy Sanders, as part of the new timeline for the plan following public input.
Some at the meeting said they felt left out or were unaware of the planning process. Others voiced concerns over the specific areas of possible future development identified in the plan, the possible annexation of land east of Starkville, how the plan could impact property values in other areas of the city and the broad nature of certain districts proposed in the plan.
"We all need to be involved in the process," Pastor John Buckner said. "It's good to see [the city] step back from [their original] timeline."
The document lays out future growth opportunities in east Starkville, around the Mississippi State University campus, while laying out possible development opportunities throughout the city. Those at the meeting worried about the language used in the preliminary draft to define growth in the city.
"We want to grow in all parts of the city," Mayor Parker Wiseman said. "We would not make a statement that would say we want to grow in some areas and not grow in other places in the city."
The areas of identified future growth were based solely on a market analysis study done by the team's economist, Consultant Philip Walker said.
"He projected those numbers based on market demand in trends in retail and housing where we think a lot of the growth is going to occur," Walker said. "A lot of it has to do with MSU. We aren't saying we can't develop elsewhere, we're showing what the market realities are."
In the coming years, the city could annex identified areas near MSU, the plan suggests.
Discussions between attendees and officials centered heavily around possible annexation options.
"Anything within city limits can still grow," said Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker. "If a developer comes in and has a project to develop in the city, you could develop that. It isn't discouraging future growth to the west, it's discouraging future annexation to the west which I think is a valid point."
Property owner Loren Bell took issue—along with other residents—over how the the plan could impact property values in other ares of Starkville.
"What's frustrating to me is when they talk about focusing on Highway 12 and east of Starkville—which isn't even in the city limits yet—before we are going to push developing other areas," Bell said. "Theoretically, that dictates the value of our property."
Wiseman stressed the comprehensive plan centers around developing a future land use map. The plan will coincide with a project to rewrite Starkville's development codes to include zoning classification changes in relation to the comprehensive plan—once adopted.
"This document does not have anything to do with an annexation process," Wiseman said. "This is a planning document that says these are lands the city should consider for annexation in the future."
The language of the document was concerning, Wiseman said, agreeing with attendees.
"I am still not comfortable with the clarity of this language," Wiseman said. "I think the term growth is misleading. I think what this is referring to is future annexation. In terms of whether the city should be looking for options outside of Starkville to the east or west, that's what it should address."
Residents were also concerned about the lack of water, sewer and power infrastructure in areas peripheral to the city, parts of which are identified as future development areas in the plan.
"I see nothing in the plan for Wards 6 and 7," said NAACP Oktibbeha Chapter President Chris Taylor said. "The infrastructure out in that area isn't growing."
Starkville resident Jack Forbus took issue with the plan's misrepresentation of the historical background of how Starkville was founded, something consultants noted to amend.
Finally, those at the meeting questioned how the plan could impact the future regulation of properties in historic districts outlined by the plan. The document recommends the city pursue local designation for the Downtown National Register District and the Overstreet National Register District, while expanding local designation for the portion of the Greensboro National Register District. The plan states a critical caveat to pursuing the designation is a significant majority of property owners within any proposed district must support the move.
The proposed document breaks down the city into place types, and is not centered around specific land-use strategies. The move is more in-line with current development trends, consultants said. The document lays out natural areas, rural areas, suburban areas, urban ares, special districts and optional districts as avenues for future growth.
Future land use should be dictated by specific spaces, which is why the plan doesn't use strictly divided land use areas, officials said. One option in the plan lays out the use of optional districts to allow for a range of development options in the proposed special districts from commercial, residential to light industrial development.
There are opportunities to buy properties under $250,000, with mixed-use residential properties near downtown and in the Cotton District, according to the plan. The latter could attract a range of residents from students to retirees.
Starkville also boasts more than 8,000 acres of vacant land, according to the document. The land could fill 18.5 million square feet of non-residential space and over 40,000 housing units, the plan estimated.
The draft argues there is a need for higher-quality retail space to compliment what currently exists in the Highway 12 corridor, while recognizing development space is limited in the downtown area. Large big-box retail developments should remain on the Highway 12 and Highway 82 corridors, the detailed document showed.
The document states there could be demand for niche retail development opportunities including organic foods, coffee shops and restaurants. These types of businesses could flourish in the walkable areas near the mixed-use residential developments in the downtown area, the plan showed.
With limited space on Main Street, prospective businesses could lease or buy properties adjacent to the corridor, but there is an apparent need for more downtown merchant space off of Main Street, according to the document.
Following an input session in February, city officials asked the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors to make strides in controlling growth around city limits, with the plan calling for annexation options.
Supervisors could institute a specific review process for all future development in county areas. If a plan is instituted, development permits would be required for residential, commercial, religious, academic and industrial developments.
Aldermen could adopt the plan in late June or early July. After the plan is adopted, building officials and consultants will start rewriting development codes to compliment the comprehensive plan.
Starkville currently has more than 20 zoning designations, with residential ordinances from the 70s.
Officials and consultants thanked residents for their input, while being committed to making the necessary adjustments to the plan to alleviate public concerns.
"They are going to be considering in great detail what types of trade-offs must be in place to make sure those uses can be compatible," Wiseman said.
Codes are expected to include more information with visual elements fleshing out code definitions, while removing outdated specifications, officials said.
"I don't think there's anybody in here who doesn't want to see Starkville grow," Realtor Tricia Buckner said. "It's our home. We love it, we just want to know about what's going on before it happens."
To download the comprehensive plan, visit cityofstarkville.org.